Bullying in schools has been around since schools were created and is a phenomenon of human behavior that is sadly familiar even as administrators, teachers and parents strive to eliminate it. The advent of social media has brought with it a new form of bullying, commonly referred to as cyberbullying. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) calls it "electronic aggression" . Whatever cyberbullying is called, it is proving to be insidious, damaging and can result in irrevocable tragedies, which is why schools are scrambling to find solutions.

Cyberbullying statistics

Incidents of cyberbullying have increased because the use of social networking sites by children and teens is virtually universal. Pew Research Center has done an extensive national study that includes cyberbullying statistics. It covered 2007-2010 and shows how popular social media is among 12-17 year-olds, and also how widespread cyberbullying has become:

95% of all teens surveyed use the Internet on a regular basis, and 80% of them use social networking sites

94% of students surveyed said they go online to do research for school assignments with 48% saying they do so most days

73% of the teens stated that they are users of online social networking sites, with 37% saying they send daily messages via social media

32% of the teens in the Pew survey reported being the targets of a range of troubling and/or intimidating online activities from their peers or anonymous sources

43% of teens aged 13 to 17 say they have experienced some sort of cyberbullying in the past year (2011 cyberbullying statistics from Internet Safety 101)

For the teens who use social networking sites, 39% reported being the victim of cyberbullying compared to 22% of teens who don't engage in social media activities

Of teens who use social media, 88% report that they have witnessed someone being mean or cruel to another online, with 12% saying cyberbullying is a 'frequent' occurrence.

Cyberbullying Facts

Cyberbullying Fact #1: Cyberbullying causes deep and lasting damage
When incidents of bullying are online, the exposure of victims is limitless and thus far more damaging. According to psychologists, the damage inflicted by cyberbullying can last into adulthood causing lifelong issues with low self-esteem, risk for addiction and other problemsSolution: iPrism Social Media security gives you visibility on online interactions of students and the power to mitigate cyberbullying problems before they escalate

Cyberbullying Fact #2: Cyberbullying has resulted in teen suicide
Stories of teen suicide are becoming all too common. Many of these incidents are the result of unchecked cyberbullying attacks on vulnerable students.Solution: iPrism Social Media Security enables schools to monitor online interactions and detect risks for self-harm among students, so an intervention can occur.

Cyberbullying Fact #3: Cyberbullying can Result in Lawsuits for Schools
Since every state except Montana has laws against bullying on the books, some cases of cyberbullying have resulted in costly lawsuits against schools and school districts. Solution: iPrism Social Media Security helps your school enforce cyberbullying legislation and reduces the risk of lawsuits.

We are very concerned about social media use at our school and our need to comply with the new CIPA rules. Virtually all of our students are using social networking in one way or another and it's something we would like to be able to manage rather than just block completely."